One cliche I absolutely cannot stand: When a character at the end of a story says "I guess this is the end?" and their friend responds with something like "No, it is only the beginning."
Oh god. You just made me remember a scene from an old cartoon where this exchange happened at the end of a random fight scene. They were fighting a random monster they had no context of and there was no follow up to any of it. Yet the last line of dialog spoken about it was “its only the beginning“ and I remember 8yo me asking “the beginning of what exactly?“ and I have not found out to this day.
The one done right, on top of my head, is Lord of the Rings' ending, especially since the lines are different. This trope can be done right, especially if it is an engaging plot.
Also, here's one I see quite often: When a protagonist gains a new power, they are instantly able to use it to its full extent with absolutely zero training.
@Salokin Noraa dude I hate that part of a story. It’s like the protagonist is a genius, knew about the power, or the creator of the story is lazy because of of the golden rule 1, protagonist has plot armor
Or just any show with genius characters (CSI type shows especially) It might be ok if it wasn't that everyone who works with the hero is also one to some extent. lol
Here’s one that bugs me. The ‘good guy’ and ‘bad guy’ are in a battle. The bad guy is winning and is beating the good guy into the dirt. Suddenly the good guy finds some power out of nowhere and finishes the battle with 1 hit. There are only a few circumstances where I buy that. Otherwise it just comes off as lazy/rushed to me.
Voltie Art oh. My. Hecking. God. It’s interesting when the protagonist questions whether they are evil or not because of the villain, BUT a full on 5 hour speech just drags on and on. You don’t need to go out and say it!
I hate that especially when it’s incredibly and obviously not true but I want a moment where the villain says that and the hero goes “yeah you right” and murders the fuck outta the villain
Some I hate in movies: -People inside the frame are surprised by someone or something coming from outside the frame which the audience doesn't see, but the characters should definitely have seen a while ago, considering their position. -A bartender gives extremely insightful advice to the protagonist, as he cleans a glass with a cloth, everyone in the bar has gone home and a busboy begins to stack chairs on to tables. -A supporting character says something unwittingly which sparks the eureka moment in the main character's mind, but he won't let us know the answer until the final reveal. -A child prodigy who knows more than the experts on a particular scientific field. -A child who knows a lot less than he/she should considering their age. -The right person to save the day is injured or otherwise incapacitated and it falls to our young, inexperienced protagonist to take their place, and of course they succeed beyond anyone's expectations. -Someone proclaiming that something or other will NEVER happen, only to immediately cut to a scene of that very thing happening.
Grafight23 I’d argue the last one can be super clever if pulled off right- if you’ve ever seen the movie ‘death becomes her’ there’s a point where the supporting male character assured his fiancé he isn’t interested in her best friend. Then we cut to- not them kissing or otherwise cheating- but him literally walking down the aisle with her. It’s a funny visual cut, at least imo
omg yes the miscommunication one is the WORST. one I'd add to the list: when the story ends with a romance that didn't add anything to the story, when it could have spent that time building up a friendship or parent-child bond or literally any other type of relationship.
@@squid24736 you keep kinda sounded like Terrible Writing Advise, he covered that topic talking how can it be developed correctly and the cliche's that are often used
I don’t get why romance is unnecessary but the other relationships are not. I mean I get it if you mean that romance is used a lot and the others aren’t but otherwise this just sounds weird
@@Zellow38 there are stories where a friendship would make more sense to the plot than a romance; like say there is this interesting character who could add a lot to the plot but is continuously ignored to make space for a romance that doesn't fit in the story
I don't know if this is considered a cliche or not but what I'm sick of constantly seeing is good friends always falling in love with each other at the end, yeah sure they've been through a lot together and have probably gotten closer but that doesn't have to mean that they want to be in each other's pants at the end of it all. Especially if it's friends that have grown up together and are practically family, all that time someone they've seen as a sibling suddenly a switch is flipped and "oh, I'm in love with them.". For me, that just doesn't make sense.
Oh my god that is definitely a cliche and it's something that pisses me off so much, especially when the audience ships it because, "romance". There's nothing wrong with romance when that's the intention. What sucks is when everyone else tries to copy the same formula to get people emotional and forget that platonic friendships exist. It annoys me how it's become such a thing, that every time I read a comic or watch a film, people automatically start shipping. "Oh my gosh, you saw them blush! They like each other! Now kiss". Sorry I got heated there. It's just something that really grinds my gears
I hate this one in particular as someone who has mostly opposite sex friends. Like I wish I could just watch a movie and not think AS SOON AS (a usually female) character of the opposite sex appears and I'm like, "awww shit, here comes the subplot that prolly can be removed from the movie without much detriment if were being honest." I want a lot more cool as fuck close guy girl friendships in fiction to counteract this if I'm being honest, hell I'd kill for a movie where EVERYONE tries to ship a guy and girl, but they STILL stay just a friends at the end because that's what's best for them. And if that already exists, PLEASE tell me the title of that movie.
I once read a book and the author wanted to be original with the "it was all just a dream". They instead changed the ending to "She closed her book, placed it on the table and walked away. To a life that was no where near as magical as the one portrayed in this story"..... It was the 12th and final book of a series. IT STILL MAKES ME SO ANGRY!!!
Yellowish Green Dragon .-. Authors like that should be banned from ever picking up a writing implement again! After 12 books as well, you would have thought they could Neva little more inventive. You have my deepest sympathy.
@@alanbritton it took me 4 weeks to finish it and it was all going really well and it was really interesting. Then all of a sudden it ended like that without warning. It's been about 4 years since but I still feel angry about it. I'm not sure what was worse, going with that or the "it was all a dream".
This one’s a bit niche but I hate that ‘running in during the protagonist’s love interest’s wedding ceremony so the protagonist can exclaim their undying love for the love interest and win her/him over’ It just makes me dislike the protagonist because like mate it’s a wedding, wasn’t there ANY other time before this exact MINUTE that you could have tried to win her/him back??? Legit Disrespectful
I always hear the "tragic backstory trope" brought up with clichés and such. But I don't think having a tragic backstory is necessarily a bad thing. Sure, if your character has a tragic backstory for the sake of having a tragic backstory, I'd prefer not to use the backstory. However, if the world you're building is a violent, war torn place with lots of conflict, go right ahead.
UsoppFanGirl I’m okay with tragic backstories, but when it starts sounding like, “his mom and dad died in front of his eyes and he saw the murderer and he stabbed the murderer and he died and the boy went to live with his uncle but his uncle died and he went to the streets but his friend offered him a home but his friend and friend’s family died.” I lose a lot of faith.
@@high9170 very true. I just found the word with which to describe this type of 'sue' XD although one or two tragic tropes is okay, cause we all probably went through something tragic in our lives. But once there's like 5+ tragic events it gets a bit unrealistic.. or this person is reallyyy unlucky haha
Oof yeah. But then there's the complete opposite of that, who I have no way to describe except "I'm so perfect I'm annoying! I'm amazing and nice and popular and pretty and everyone loves me except the readers..." when I see a Mary Sue I just wanna die
Mankind has written stories for so long now, that just about everything could be interpreted as a cliché at this point, even subversion of certain clichés have become cliché. However, a lot of the ones we keep seeing in stories these days are done because they tend to work (though far from all of them).
Depressed Rat Personally I find there's kind of a comfort in that everything could be interpreted as a cliche, because then there could be aspiring artists that wouldn't have their internal critic be as hard on them about including cliches in their art. That's not to say there shouldn't be constructive criticism or that improvement in art shouldn't be involved, just that some cliches and flaws may speak to a lot of people regardless of how common it is, and could work great art-wise (such as themes of friendship and family and comradery being in a lot of stories since that's where some people place their values in).
How about, people that were really, really terrible to the protagonist, sometimes even killing their friends or such, suddenly decide to be nice to them (after a physical change, gained ability, etc.) and the protagonist IMMEDIATELY forgives them and they all love each other? It's really weird to me.
Eh, it can work. In Stein's;Gate one of the characters kills many people many times. The MC forgives her because 1 he's not the kind of person to ignore someone's circumstances. 2 He's not the kind of person that holds grudges easily. 3 He's desensitised to violence and death to the point forgiveness is no big deal. It works and is consistent like this.
a cliche that annoys me so badly: the protagonist is in a gun fight and has to run while people are shooting like 50 bullets at him, and not even one hits him/her.
lol thats actually probably more realistic than if they actually did hit - i think i saw a statistic ( i could be wrong about exact numbers but im fairly certain the general conclusion is the same) that around 90% of rounds fired by the military never actually hit the target being fired at
In some places it works. Forr example, in my favorite game, Gravity Rush 2, the characters can control gravity; so if they're in the sky then the bullets go away from them because, you know, the gravity concentration around them is a little bit different; hence why the bullets would lean away.
the gmun. well the thing is, over 100 bullets were shot at him and not even one hits him, yet when the protagonist gets to shot, it hits evry single bullet while in motion. nothing is wasted.
Summary and Time Stamps : 1. Two people who are going to eventually fall in love appear to hate each other when they first meet. (0:55) 2. If one of the characters has a phobia, they will be forced to confront and overcome that phobia during the story's final climactic scene. (2:22) 3. In a fight between the protagonist and a bad guy, the bad guy will seen to have gained the upper hand, only to suddenly die, having been killed by a third character, who has come to the rescue just in the nick of time. (3:10) 4. In a story that involves kids having an adventure, the parents are conveniently absent for most of the tale. (4:34) 5. The "big misunderstanding" that divides the maine characters or sets the story back all because people didn't communicate. (6:44) 6. A person leaving at the end of an argument will stop, turn around, and deliver one last killer line that puts the other person in their place. (8:43) 7. A person will speak English very slowly and simply to a character who appears to be "a foreigner", only to find that they speak English quite fluently. (10:04) 8. An art project (or some such creative endeavor) has gone completely wrong and semms headed toward disaster, but the whole problem is solved when the important "boss" character comes in and declares, "I love it!" (10:53)
Trope 1 - The Tsundere Trope 2 - The Hitchcock Trope 3 - The Cavalry has arrived! Trope 4 - The Orphan Child Trope 5 - The Misunderstanding Trope 6 - The Final Word Trope 7 - Assumptions About Foreigners Trope 8 - Subverting Expectations (can fit with almost all of the above)
1: Main character perishes only 2 be revived at the last second conveniently/magically. I can't take/believe most of them seriously as the consequences don't last. 2: If the bad guy obtain's (bla bla) it's all over no hope. Antagonist retrieves (bla bla) & the hero vanquish's them despite the odds. 3: 2 characters stuck in a river, Q WATERFALL! 1 character gets knocked unconscious, (raising the stakes.) Then the other character saves them from drowning. Edit 4: Character gets thrown in dungeon only 2 obtain the keys that r conveniently nearby. (Eg sleeping guard.) 5: Bomb getting defused at the last possible second. (Unrealistic.) 6: Prophecy's that r about r protagonist. 7: A character who is down on their luck will say something like. "It can't get any worse can it?" Then it starts 2 rain or something 2 that effect. This irony is usually used for comic relief. 8: Women & their frying pans/kitchen utensils. I'm immensely excited about ur new graphic novel Mark ur reMARKable! PS (Thanks for all the likes!)
Dude, the waterfall one is golden. Evertime I've seen it it's been great... and is it really that overused? Off the top of my head I can only remember the one from Spirit stallion of the cimarron. I dont read a lot of normal books, but aside from some kid shows I cant remember seeing many.
@@yellowishgreendragon.-. - If they were orphaned or taken from their parents when they were very young, that would work. But unless it's a plot point, it shouldn't be there. "I was passed around like a gift nobody wants but is too polite to reject. Probably started with my parents." This character is damaged by cycling through the foster care system.
If the character has memory loss or something that made them be taken away from their parents before they were enough young to remember them, then i don't see the problem
Well this can work. I remember watching a movie about a young boy who was accidentally left in Japan during WW2 and was captured by the Japanese army. Towards the end of the movie, after going through a lot of hardships, he said to his friend he couldn't even remember his parents' face anymore. Idk, but to me that worked well.
that scene is so irrelevant that I swear I forgot about it and just thought they were all orphans living alone in that island, until I played KH1 again last year xD
I think 'the chosen one' archetype is also over used. The main character that is just unbeatable in this one thing everyone is doing, but the main character doesn't care because "it's just what I do" ... one punch man took that archetype to the extreme and made it work, by focusing on the supporting cast. They have to work for everything, they are the ones that could lose, they're the ones the audience are getting involved with... not Saitama. He wins.. personified Deus ex machina.
It also works bc of Saitama's personality xD He literally doesn't like that super power of his, like yeah, that hard work paid off, but it takes all the "fun" of being a super hero xD
Also its not like Saitama didn't work hard. He spend those 2 years training to be strong and now he is, its just that his training was that good. Whats good about Saitama is that he has small goals like become a registered hero or become an S class hero, rise up the rakes. There are some chapter where he's rather humble and he's not like the other heros.
Another REALLY annoying cliche? CLIFFS. For some stupid reason, people writing stories think it's a great idea to have the protagonist and/or their party running/crashing a vehicle/slipping and either ending right at the end of a cliff just inches away from death, or hanging from it by a thread. So many movies/books/graphic novels put this in and I roll my eyes SO HARD when I see it. Love your content once again, Mark. Keep being awesome!
Let's not forget this one- The light vs. Darkness concept. Light is the good guy, dark is the bad guy. It's reinvented in new ways, but it's still REALLY overused.
Id love to see more gritty versions of this where its revealed that humans (and pretty much all living beings) are actually the “dark“ beings since they are leeching off the light and energy in general. Probably exists somewhere out there already...
the "Twist Villain" . The character in the film that had no prior visual or communicative cues that would lead you to suspect they were the villain, OR, they lean too much into the 'good' side character that it's too obvious, they will be the villain. But the story wanted to really surprise you with the reveal, even when you saw it coming a mile away.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with cliches, just like every other aspect of writing there are good and bad ways to use them. For example you could try fleshing out a cliche and give it more nuance or handle the cliche from a different/multiple perspectives.
This was touched on but it does bear repeating: there is nothing inherently wrong with cliche, or to coin an expression by SFDebris, the difference between a rip off and a homage is what you add to it. Lets not forget that Harry Potter with its magical orphan child with a destiny plot is cliche as heck - but I think JK Rowling's bank balance proved how little that mattered.
Yeah, frankly, I'm sick of chosen one stories because I mean, whatever they do they're chosen for this amazing fate anyway. Stories where characters rise up to be the center of the action due to their own choices and determination is far more engaging in my opinion.
@LagiNaLangAko23 While I agree that there are a LOT of clichés in Harry Potter, Rowling's net worth is $1 billion... she doesn't have to "try" and do anything... You say she's desperate to make it relevant, I say she is succeeding. She could go on the rest of her life (her family could go a few generations even), never touch that series again and not want for anything. Movies based off the universe today are still making millions. There's no desperation there... just good business sense.
@LagiNaLangAko23 I guess the info dump doesn't really bother me to the extent it does you. It's her prerogative to do what she wants. There are people practically at her feet begging to know what Dumbledore's sexuality is, so she responds. Do I care what Dumbledore's sexuality is? Absolutely not. That information doesn't change my view on the FICTIONAL character or the series one bit... but she's not the one making Harry Potter relevant, everybody else is doing that for her. “...aside from Potter, what has she made that have garnered so much attention?” Who. The f**k. Cares. I mean really... She doesn’t have to write another book if she doesn’t want to. She can make it a simple hobby now. She’s not the only author to be a victim of his/her own successes either. Stephenie Meyer and Twilight... no one is talking about The Host and it’s just as poorly written as her other books. Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games. Nobody really talks about the Underland Chronicles and they preceded The Hunger Games. Dan Brown and his Robert Langdon series... everybody mostly talked about the Da Vinci Code (ONE book in a SEVEN book series) and it wasn’t even the first book in the series contrary to what the movies tell you. And these are just to name a few in recent date. SIDE NOTE: the Angels and Demons movie is a poor representation of the book. It left out a huge plot twist that made the book 10x better... Conspiracy?... maybe... Missed opportunity?... definitely. As far as Rowling’s private detective series goes, it is actually pretty popular in the UK. Even has its own TV show, but I concede that you’re right it hasn’t received the INTERNATIONAL attention that Harry Potter did, and yet she still received critical acclaim from reviews and her peers on the new series. International attention to the extent that Harry Potter received is pretty rare. Even authors better than Rowlings didn't receive international attention until after their deaths (Jane Austen to name a pretty important one). In recent date (and in my opinion), the only other series that has received close to that kind of attention is The Hunger Games. I think it all has to do with the target audience. Let's face it, tweeners to young adults tend to get a little crazy about their "passions".
One cliche that I think needs to die is the "guy doesn't take no for an answer" one - main dude meets a girl, she is absolutely uninterested in him, but he KNOWS she's secretly in love with him even tho there are NO signs of that. So he stalks her and harrasses her and follows her around, and in the end she does fall in love with him it's basically every cheap romantic comedy ever and it's tiring and gross to watch lmao
@@jinxluvver3909 Stop.. Just stop. Nobody here implied that men should be burned. We pointed out that it's a male CLICHÉ because it's most common with men.
@@jinxluvver3909 You're welcome lmao Please tell me what part of my comment implied stalking is normal behaviour for men and they should all burn. Was something confusingly worded or do you just really really wanna feel attacked LOL Yeah it happens to be reversed too, sort of. I've seen that only in anime with yandere characters, but at least with those it's aknowledged that what the girl is doing is in fact creepy and stalkery. Maybe the cliche I described's done with women in live action romances from time to time too, I wouldn't know since I don't actively watch romantic movies. I'd love it if you point out some examples of that. But I've seen it mainly with dudes, and it's always portrayed as romantic and a show of his love, not the creepy harrassment that it really is.
Madicham I don’t care enough to provide examples because fiction is fiction. Ergo,it holds no bearing over anything. Ergo,why are you replying to a comment that’s half a week old?
As much as I love Digimon, it’s definitely guilty of Cliché #4. I wouldn’t just say “parents”; I’d say adults in general. In Digimon, very few adults help the kids out, and when they do, they’re usually not that helpful. The parents are practically useless. A thought about #1: I think that cliché developed because the opposite was becoming cliché. Two characters would meet each other, and the sparks would fly immediately - for no reason. You rarely understood why they liked each other. They just did because the plot said so. Often, there was no buildup to the romance. They were just immediately “in love”. It made their relationship feel shallow and rushed. Think about a lot of Disney Princess movies. The princess and her prince fell in love in about three hours. The conflict didn’t come from their relationship; it came from external forces keeping them apart. Aladdin couldn’t marry Jasmine because the law said she had to marry a prince. Ariel couldn’t be with Eric because she was a mermaid and he was human. Aurora couldn’t be with Phillip because of the sleeping curse. And so on. Having the two characters hate each other at first may not be the best alternative, but it at least allows the conflict to come from them, not from fate. You also get to watch that journey you mentioned. They develop a relationship instead of just instantly having a “perfect” one.
They don't even have to hate each other. They could just be indifferent to each other or tolerate but not necessarily like, until further development causes them to get to know each other and eventually fall in love.
What?! I think Digimon is one of the few series that handled the parents really well, specially Matt's dad, he was super helpful. And Mimi's dad even if he lacked strength he was willing to do anything to protect his family, which helped Togemon to digievolve into Lilymon. Also didn't also Sora's mom helped her with Biyomon?
@@JaelBreton To be honest the real romantic with classical bondings and all usually contain some reasoned calculation as well. It would be nice to see things sometimes warm up, realization that there are interest and they eventually calculate that this relationship is worth to take that deeper level. I don't have opposite sex childhood friend but I suppose friendships like that differ a bit from romantic kinds and I guess childhood friends absolutely do not want romantic involvements because it kinda takes away something which made their relation good in the first place.
Adding to the parents cliches: The protagonist parents (or sometimes the secret 'REAL' parents) are this super important plot or lore characters. I find it even more annoying when it's revealed late in the story. "Oh, your father? He was this super powerful guy, who stopped that legendary evil, and was the founder of the most important organization galaxy-wise."
I have a question, does it count as this cliche when I don't reveal one of the main character's heritage and made the parent seemingly normal but with a few hints here and there? I don't know, im trying to work on a story and there's a lil twist where the main character A was unknowingly the one main character B was going to marry, cause of both of them oblivious of main character B's heritage and because the mother didn't reveal it to him. The mother helps the girl along the story for no reason at all till this is why the mother helped. I would really love feedback since I'm still learning
@@jbgra2566 ah sorry, English isn't my native language too so that might be the case. So the two main character's parents were the ones who agreed to the arrange marriage but the girl didn't know any of this, the boy is oblivious of his family's history and stuff. It is later revealed when the boy confronts his mother about the strange things she did that was off and she wouldn't do to a stranger. He didn't point it out so quickly cause there alot of things happening so fast. Hope this is clearer :3
one that I've seen/read. in the final battle the Protagonist has one last end all special move that he could only use as a last resort because of how devastating it is to the surroundings and themselves
Another one: When the cast of main characters are SO CLOSE to defeating the main antagonist, but one character screws it up by acting on their feelings. - This has happened in Infinity War, Gravity Falls (twice!), and probably many more idk
This can happen though,I've been through it once and I absolutely hate it.Still couldn't resolve the problem yet.Btw,Gravity falls did a good job,but still,Mabel is still an ungrateful shit to Dipper.My boy deserve better.
Basically Boy: I promise I won't get involved with her. Girl: *Sees boy kissing her and runs off betrayed* Boy: *pushes her off* Why did you just kiss me?! I'm dating Girl! Miscommunication! 😅 And this isn't just exclusively couples, but anyone promising their close friend or parent something and seeming to "break" said promise. You can see this cliche a mile away. Maybe trust that person a little more and ask them what happened later, and if you can't even trust your closest friend/lover/parent, then eavesdropping for 5 more seconds wouldn't kill ya lol. The fact that you would put so much faith into a person and immediately believe they broke your promise kinda says a lot more about you than the character committing the "crime", my friend 😅😂 How can ppl establish this intense "go to the ends of the world for you" relationship only to have it explode like a bomb? 😅
The A-hole who maintains a nice guy facade until he revels himself at the last minute. Maguffin is destroyed or absent for third act but teamwork brings it back or creates something better just in the nick time. Love at first sight. Nuff said. The thing where the guy's family is unhappy that he works long hours and isn't able to focus on them 110%.
The story that starts in a seemingly dramatic moment and then you are dragged into a story-long flashback. When you finally get to the point where the story began, the things aren't what they seem.
Quick dumb spin I had on three: Two protagonists are fighting the bad guy. Protagonist 1 leaves to get backup. Protagonist 2 is actually fighting the villain well, and when the villain seems like he’s about to die, Protagonist 1 comes back with backup to see, there was no need for said backup. Oops. Another one. Basically this basic premis happens. Th hero is helpless and about to die, villain is now dead. The person who saved protagonist is actually a rouge villain who wanted to get the victory of killing the hero for themselves.
Villain cliche Bad guys try to take over the world because their (evil) seen it so many times in movies, anime, games, etc. It bothers me. I don't know if someone mentioned this in the comments.
That's so incredibly general I don't think it can even be counted, though. Like, *the overwhelming majority of people on the planet* have a childhood friend that's also a girl. And in stories, that's just, like, the absolute most basic starting point for a character.
That's a really good drawing. I can't stand the misunderstanding cliche, I can also relate to the slow speaking one a little. People will speak slowly when they find out that I wear hearing aids. Like know that they're just trying to be nice and I thank them for that, but it feels so demeaning. Speak loudly not slowly, I'm not stupid and neither are people who speak foreign languages.
Natives, especially from America and etc are too fast paced for people who are not or are learners. S yes, speaking a little slowly is good. Yours is different.
I dont really care about cliches since everything's been done already. I only care about the story. Sure, cliches can get in the way, but as long as the story is intriguing and fun, its all good.
My least favourite trope is: a character dies and their friend/loved one cries over their body, and as soon as the single teardrop falls on the dead character's body, magic happens and they are brought back to life.
LuTube Well, in something like Tangled or Steven Universe, it makes sense because the main character was established to have magic healing powers prior to this moment, we just didn’t know the full extent of it yet. Their tears just are the most powerful part. It’s problematic in something like Stitch has a Glitch though, where they spend the entire movie building up that the character‘s life is in danger and when he dies in the end and everyone is sad and cries over his dead body, he just comes back to life for no reason. They literally asked that question in-universe and the answer given is „I dunno.“
Although I don't really watch RUclips art tutorials anymore, I just wanted to say that you're the reason why I got into visual storytelling. Thank you.
My favorite cliche' is the ghost in the mirror bathroom mirror/cabinet scene. We all know when the cabinet closes there will be a face behind the person and yet it gets me all the time. 😆
Hi Mark long time returning fan I used to watch your videos every day I don't know why I stoped watching, but I'm back now and just wanted to thank you, every time I have felt stuck on art for the past 9 years ish I always look at the many how to draw books i own but I always seem to gravitate towards mastering manga and it almost always helps me get back on track with whatever it was that I was drawing.
Agree with all of them. The misunderstanding one drives me nuts. The missing parents one can be annoying sometimes, I like them when they are better integrated into the story.
I'm so glad to see you shading with your fingers. Somebody chastised me for that a while back. I have shaders but I have always done some shading with my fingers since I was a kid.
Mr. Crilley, I've been following your videos for the last seven years, and I must say... I was SHOCKED to see you using copic markers! It's not something usual from you in the past. Very nice :) I love seeing all artists use different mediums!
When the bad guy captures the main character, he or she reveals the evil plan to the protagonist who says, "you won't get away with this." The villain says, "I already have," and then leaves the hero to his or her doom.
WOAH I remember watching Mr Crilley’s videos 11(+?) years ago after discovering the Akiko series, and feeling so inspired - I think he got me interested in perspectives back then (which I now deal with in the field of architecture! Time flies). So glad to see that he’s still active on RUclips to this day!
As an aspiring writer, I do love these discussions where people talk about literary cliches! It's a way to get feedback about my writing without anyone ever having read it I suppose lol
I definitely hate it when characters meet up to discuss something, but they ONLY say what they came there to say after saying goodbye, walking three steps, stopping at the door, turning dramatically around, then utter: "Oh, by the way...". Like, in reality, after you say goodbye to someone, THEY'RE GONE. There's no time to walk slowly away dramatically and turn around. Just like the characters who turn their backs and face the camera, while still in conversation. When that happens to me in real life, I'm always like, "What? I can't hear you! Can you point your mouth at me when you're speaking?" And again, you turn your back on someone, they're gonna walk off, not linger around. Part of being an effective communicator is maintaining eye contact, and using subtle body language, to emphasize your point with your hands and feet. A couple things that get me to put down a book forever, or watch a different tv series, are sex scenes, and fight scenes. I'm astounded by how common it is to throw in random unnecessary sex or fight scenes that have absolutely nothing to do with the plot or character development. Sex and fighting are part of life, so you expect to see it in a LONG series where you get attached to the characters. But throwing a bunch of naked people into a room with flying bullets and explosions is not entertainment. What's entertainment is what pulls at our heartstrings. A forbidden romance that two characters sacrifice everything for, or an underdog that constantly loses fights but keeps getting back up because he believes in what he's fighting for, is VASTLY more satisfying and rewarding than what we're forced to watch in EVERY movie these days.
I just started drawing and I found out I'm not to bad for just starting out just wanted to say thanks for all your awesome content and that the black Prismacolor is godlike goes over the pen as if it's not even there!
A quote from Terrador (Earth Guardian in “The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning”) “All warriors feel fear at one time or another, Spyro. There’s no shame in that, but only the bravest or most powerful can learn to face their fears and master them...” Very fitting for your # 2 point I’d say....
Mark, if you framed your original art. Like these nice landscape setting. I bet you could sell them on your website. I would love to buy an original piece of art from you to hang on my wall.
The saddest thing is, I have seen 7 and 8 happen in real life. A British businessman spoke in a slow almost patronizing way to my Mexican boss because my boss had just been speaking Spanish to a customer. My Boss speaks perfect Texan. In college, another groups project was destroyed almost completely when one of the students transported it in the rain in the back of a pickup. They all bemoaned its loss and still got an A because the teacher loved it. Cliches hang around because they do actually happen in real life.
A few i have are when they pull a Castle. (And I love the series) is when two characters come to the same conclusion and finish each other's sentences. Or the protagonist does some mistake and goes back to correct it and doesn't have to prove ANYTHING to the other character that they are sorry. Finally the "what if" sinario. Where the character has to make a choice and knows the right one could mean life or death to a partner or loved one and offers to trade in their life for the person who they are trying to save
I always like having a note of some of these cliches, as I try and avoid them with my characters and story telling. SOME I don't mind so much but others bug the hell out of me. With the foreign language one, that comes across as rude. I do have a similar situation, where one of my small part characters encounters another of my characters, who is abnormally tall, like 7ft or something. and the other character being shorter basically shouts up at him if he can hear her up there. Another time I came across something similar was a character didn't realise someone they knew was deaf and shouted loudly so she could 'hear'. I feel these play of a similar situation but give a different idea rather than play on the constant "different language" idea. Also the misunderstanding bugs the hell out of me, shouldn't they know the character well enough to not jump to conclusions? Or you know JUST TALK!. great video dude and beautiful picture to boot! I loved watching you work on it!
Great list. I would like it though if you could pose some solutions to these cliches that could be used to replace them or to make them more original. I’ve been struggling with cliches in my own works, and it’s been very hard for me to avoid them. Any help is appreciated, I love your videos.
Shrek is a good example of the misunderstanding working. Because it’s not just a crutch like it is in most stories, Shrek misunderstands Fiona because it feeds directly into his insecurities, he doesn’t want to talk about it because he’s hurt, he’s been judged before and he assumes this is what’s happening. Fiona won’t talk because she’s also insecure, it was a good way to utilize this cliche and actually make it interesting
As for me, cliche #2 ("Meet your worst fear!") is pretty much fun, actually. And i do not see it in movies for very long time! So it is not quite a cliche...
This kind of video is great for younger storytellers who may accidentally copy decades of repeated methods. It's as important to know what to avoid as it is to strive for.
The seventh one happens in real life too. I was at Disney world waiting in a line and an Asian woman with good english asked my mom a questions and so my mom answered in the worst ungrammatically correct broken English she could find and it annoyed me to pieces.
Hi Mark! I used to go by the name of shortygirl0007. Not sure if you remember as it's been so many years. I don't have the video anymore, but I posted a video years ago about Miki Falls collection and you replied back. Back then, it was HUGE for me as you were a big inspiration. I still have Miki Falls along with Brody's Ghost collection with me and it brings me joy. Thank you for all you do :)
Prince Zuko from Avatar was sympathetic, but it didn't feel cliche to me. Maybe because he actually had good intentions that were contorted by his experiences
@@Chris-Moore501 Doesn't matter. That's how every sympathetic villain is written now. It's gotten so boring that I don't even enjoy Prince Zuko anymore.
@@rosakuboleznennyesladkij1415 Someone who would be irredeemable and unremorseful. Someone who is actually the polar opposite of the hero, while still being entertaining. I'm not saying sympathetic villains are bad just overdone at this point. I just want a villain I can like watching while still hoping for their downfall. I'm just sick of watching movies and shows where there are practically two heros, but one is just wrong in their approach to the issue. Of course this is just my opinion, it's not like writers stay wake at night asking themselves: " What does Diontez want to see?".
One cliche I absolutely cannot stand:
When a character at the end of a story says "I guess this is the end?" and their friend responds with something like "No, it is only the beginning."
Oh god. You just made me remember a scene from an old cartoon where this exchange happened at the end of a random fight scene. They were fighting a random monster they had no context of and there was no follow up to any of it. Yet the last line of dialog spoken about it was “its only the beginning“ and I remember 8yo me asking “the beginning of what exactly?“ and I have not found out to this day.
Yah, too bad we don't get to see any after "the beginning" );
Like, its CLEARLY the end. Dont stretch it.
The one done right, on top of my head, is Lord of the Rings' ending, especially since the lines are different. This trope can be done right, especially if it is an engaging plot.
Lmao one of my favorite movies end like that but i hate it too
Also, here's one I see quite often:
When a protagonist gains a new power, they are instantly able to use it to its full extent with absolutely zero training.
@Salokin Noraa dude I hate that part of a story. It’s like the protagonist is a genius, knew about the power, or the creator of the story is lazy because of of the golden rule 1, protagonist has plot armor
Good one. This is like any shonen climax, where the protag coincidentally masters a technique out of "strong will"
It's like.. that power was made for them.....
*cough* Rey *cough*
Or just any show with genius characters (CSI type shows especially) It might be ok if it wasn't that everyone who works with the hero is also one to some extent. lol
Here’s one that bugs me.
The ‘good guy’ and ‘bad guy’ are in a battle. The bad guy is winning and is beating the good guy into the dirt. Suddenly the good guy finds some power out of nowhere and finishes the battle with 1 hit.
There are only a few circumstances where I buy that. Otherwise it just comes off as lazy/rushed to me.
Is just like some of those anime battles where they regain some important memories, then they gain random power to fight them back XD
Don't forget when they remember *tHe pOwEr oF fRiEnDsHiP* and instantly become op lol
literally every yugioh match ever
@@theptatchip7082 Shh-
Oh yeah what about Soul Eater? Ending pissed me off.
@@hi-bk6sy Literally every chapter of Fairy Tail xD
there's a difference between classic cliches and corny cliches
classic: never gets old
corny: *groans* never seems knew
teeheeheeheehee oh! I got a little confused there.
lol the more you know ;p
thank you, I'm very fussy about those things so i'm greatful you pointed it out for me. i shall change it now
Sometimes clichés also can depend on how they're executed.
the "We're not so different, you and I" villain speech.
Voltie Art oh. My. Hecking. God.
It’s interesting when the protagonist questions whether they are evil or not because of the villain, BUT a full on 5 hour speech just drags on and on. You don’t need to go out and say it!
"I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!!!!"
What about vice versa?
Voltie Art oml I’ve heard that exact line so many times by so many different movies lol
I hate that especially when it’s incredibly and obviously not true but I want a moment where the villain says that and the hero goes “yeah you right” and murders the fuck outta the villain
Some I hate in movies:
-People inside the frame are surprised by someone or something coming from outside the frame which the audience doesn't see, but the characters should definitely have seen a while ago, considering their position.
-A bartender gives extremely insightful advice to the protagonist, as he cleans a glass with a cloth, everyone in the bar has gone home and a busboy begins to stack chairs on to tables.
-A supporting character says something unwittingly which sparks the eureka moment in the main character's mind, but he won't let us know the answer until the final reveal.
-A child prodigy who knows more than the experts on a particular scientific field.
-A child who knows a lot less than he/she should considering their age.
-The right person to save the day is injured or otherwise incapacitated and it falls to our young, inexperienced protagonist to take their place, and of course they succeed beyond anyone's expectations.
-Someone proclaiming that something or other will NEVER happen, only to immediately cut to a scene of that very thing happening.
Grafight23 I’d argue the last one can be super clever if pulled off right- if you’ve ever seen the movie ‘death becomes her’ there’s a point where the supporting male character assured his fiancé he isn’t interested in her best friend. Then we cut to- not them kissing or otherwise cheating- but him literally walking down the aisle with her. It’s a funny visual cut, at least imo
I think you're watching a lot of animes, I may be wrong...
@@-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.- These can all be found in live movies and TV... and I'm sure Anime as well.
I think the last one is still funny, but I agree with you on the other ones.
That last one works when it comes to comedy however
I hate it when the cool guy doesn't look at the explosion. They're just asking for a back full of shrapnel. Duck and cover or something.
also explosions are so pretty who wouldn't want to watch them!?
Django stared at the explosions. It was glorious
@@goddessofchaos7754 I literally watched that movie for the first time last week, I remember that
That reminds me of a scene from megamind, lmao
@@kairoikki6981 I love that scene 😂
omg yes the miscommunication one is the WORST.
one I'd add to the list: when the story ends with a romance that didn't add anything to the story, when it could have spent that time building up a friendship or parent-child bond or literally any other type of relationship.
>when they had a romantic relationship when they could've had a parent-child bond
hmmm
@@yourbeau obviously not what I was talking about but thanks for being a jerk about it
@@squid24736 you keep kinda sounded like Terrible Writing Advise, he covered that topic talking how can it be developed correctly and the cliche's that are often used
I don’t get why romance is unnecessary but the other relationships are not.
I mean I get it if you mean that romance is used a lot and the others aren’t but otherwise this just sounds weird
@@Zellow38 there are stories where a friendship would make more sense to the plot than a romance; like say there is this interesting character who could add a lot to the plot but is continuously ignored to make space for a romance that doesn't fit in the story
I don't know if this is considered a cliche or not but what I'm sick of constantly seeing is good friends always falling in love with each other at the end, yeah sure they've been through a lot together and have probably gotten closer but that doesn't have to mean that they want to be in each other's pants at the end of it all. Especially if it's friends that have grown up together and are practically family, all that time someone they've seen as a sibling suddenly a switch is flipped and "oh, I'm in love with them.". For me, that just doesn't make sense.
Oh my god that is definitely a cliche and it's something that pisses me off so much, especially when the audience ships it because, "romance".
There's nothing wrong with romance when that's the intention. What sucks is when everyone else tries to copy the same formula to get people emotional and forget that platonic friendships exist.
It annoys me how it's become such a thing, that every time I read a comic or watch a film, people automatically start shipping.
"Oh my gosh, you saw them blush! They like each other! Now kiss".
Sorry I got heated there. It's just something that really grinds my gears
Like in Harry Potter?
I hate this one in particular as someone who has mostly opposite sex friends.
Like I wish I could just watch a movie and not think AS SOON AS (a usually female) character of the opposite sex appears and I'm like, "awww shit, here comes the subplot that prolly can be removed from the movie without much detriment if were being honest."
I want a lot more cool as fuck close guy girl friendships in fiction to counteract this if I'm being honest, hell I'd kill for a movie where EVERYONE tries to ship a guy and girl, but they STILL stay just a friends at the end because that's what's best for them.
And if that already exists, PLEASE tell me the title of that movie.
I do get annoyed with the “And it was all a dream” style endings.
Pass me a bucket, PLEASE!
Yeah, that’s a pretty lazy method for ending a story.
It's such a lazy way to end a story, ugh
I once read a book and the author wanted to be original with the "it was all just a dream". They instead changed the ending to "She closed her book, placed it on the table and walked away. To a life that was no where near as magical as the one portrayed in this story"..... It was the 12th and final book of a series. IT STILL MAKES ME SO ANGRY!!!
Yellowish Green Dragon .-. Authors like that should be banned from ever picking up a writing implement again! After 12 books as well, you would have thought they could Neva little more inventive. You have my deepest sympathy.
@@alanbritton it took me 4 weeks to finish it and it was all going really well and it was really interesting. Then all of a sudden it ended like that without warning. It's been about 4 years since but I still feel angry about it. I'm not sure what was worse, going with that or the "it was all a dream".
This one’s a bit niche but I hate that ‘running in during the protagonist’s love interest’s wedding ceremony so the protagonist can exclaim their undying love for the love interest and win her/him over’
It just makes me dislike the protagonist because like mate it’s a wedding, wasn’t there ANY other time before this exact MINUTE that you could have tried to win her/him back??? Legit Disrespectful
I always hear the "tragic backstory trope" brought up with clichés and such. But I don't think having a tragic backstory is necessarily a bad thing. Sure, if your character has a tragic backstory for the sake of having a tragic backstory, I'd prefer not to use the backstory. However, if the world you're building is a violent, war torn place with lots of conflict, go right ahead.
UsoppFanGirl I’m okay with tragic backstories, but when it starts sounding like, “his mom and dad died in front of his eyes and he saw the murderer and he stabbed the murderer and he died and the boy went to live with his uncle but his uncle died and he went to the streets but his friend offered him a home but his friend and friend’s family died.” I lose a lot of faith.
@@high9170 the Sympathetic sue :P
@@Lewis_the_raider Well, when you hear it in not one, or two, but TEN fanfictions, it get's annoying. :P
@@high9170 very true. I just found the word with which to describe this type of 'sue' XD although one or two tragic tropes is okay, cause we all probably went through something tragic in our lives. But once there's like 5+ tragic events it gets a bit unrealistic.. or this person is reallyyy unlucky haha
Oof yeah. But then there's the complete opposite of that, who I have no way to describe except "I'm so perfect I'm annoying! I'm amazing and nice and popular and pretty and everyone loves me except the readers..." when I see a Mary Sue I just wanna die
Mankind has written stories for so long now, that just about everything could be interpreted as a cliché at this point, even subversion of certain clichés have become cliché. However, a lot of the ones we keep seeing in stories these days are done because they tend to work (though far from all of them).
Originality is kinda dead if you ask me
Depressed Rat
Personally I find there's kind of a comfort in that everything could be interpreted as a cliche, because then there could be aspiring artists that wouldn't have their internal critic be as hard on them about including cliches in their art.
That's not to say there shouldn't be constructive criticism or that improvement in art shouldn't be involved, just that some cliches and flaws may speak to a lot of people regardless of how common it is, and could work great art-wise (such as themes of friendship and family and comradery being in a lot of stories since that's where some people place their values in).
Originally is hard to do when there are over 7.2 billion people alive and before that
How about, people that were really, really terrible to the protagonist, sometimes even killing their friends or such, suddenly decide to be nice to them (after a physical change, gained ability, etc.) and the protagonist IMMEDIATELY forgives them and they all love each other? It's really weird to me.
Weird af. I hate it.
Eh, it can work. In Stein's;Gate one of the characters kills many people many times. The MC forgives her because 1 he's not the kind of person to ignore someone's circumstances.
2 He's not the kind of person that holds grudges easily.
3 He's desensitised to violence and death to the point forgiveness is no big deal.
It works and is consistent like this.
Orochimaru *cough*
So... Naruto?
very true
Alright now imma go write a story with all of those in it
-Queen
Savage 😂
asdfg hjkl I hope I can see that story in the theatres one day
It already exists it is about emojis
Call it
"All the most common cliches in a single book."
a cliche that annoys me so badly:
the protagonist is in a gun fight and has to run while people are shooting like 50 bullets at him, and not even one hits him/her.
lol thats actually probably more realistic than if they actually did hit - i think i saw a statistic ( i could be wrong about exact numbers but im fairly certain the general conclusion is the same) that around 90% of rounds fired by the military never actually hit the target being fired at
In some places it works. Forr example, in my favorite game, Gravity Rush 2, the characters can control gravity; so if they're in the sky then the bullets go away from them because, you know, the gravity concentration around them is a little bit different; hence why the bullets would lean away.
the gmun. well the thing is, over 100 bullets were shot at him and not even one hits him, yet when the protagonist gets to shot, it hits evry single bullet while in motion. nothing is wasted.
it loks so pathetic.
Rambo
Summary and Time Stamps :
1. Two people who are going to eventually fall in love appear to hate each other when they first meet. (0:55)
2. If one of the characters has a phobia, they will be forced to confront and overcome that phobia during the story's final climactic scene. (2:22)
3. In a fight between the protagonist and a bad guy, the bad guy will seen to have gained the upper hand, only to suddenly die, having been killed by a third character, who has come to the rescue just in the nick of time. (3:10)
4. In a story that involves kids having an adventure, the parents are conveniently absent for most of the tale. (4:34)
5. The "big misunderstanding" that divides the maine characters or sets the story back all because people didn't communicate. (6:44)
6. A person leaving at the end of an argument will stop, turn around, and deliver one last killer line that puts the other person in their place. (8:43)
7. A person will speak English very slowly and simply to a character who appears to be "a foreigner", only to find that they speak English quite fluently. (10:04)
8. An art project (or some such creative endeavor) has gone completely wrong and semms headed toward disaster, but the whole problem is solved when the important "boss" character comes in and declares, "I love it!" (10:53)
Thanks! :D
Thanks a lot, Mate
Trope 1 - The Tsundere
Trope 2 - The Hitchcock
Trope 3 - The Cavalry has arrived!
Trope 4 - The Orphan Child
Trope 5 - The Misunderstanding
Trope 6 - The Final Word
Trope 7 - Assumptions About Foreigners
Trope 8 - Subverting Expectations (can fit with almost all of the above)
1: Main character perishes only 2 be revived at the last second conveniently/magically. I can't take/believe most of them seriously as the consequences don't last.
2: If the bad guy obtain's (bla bla) it's all over no hope. Antagonist retrieves (bla bla) & the hero vanquish's them despite the odds.
3: 2 characters stuck in a river, Q WATERFALL! 1 character gets knocked unconscious, (raising the stakes.) Then the other character saves them from drowning.
Edit
4: Character gets thrown in dungeon only 2 obtain the keys that r conveniently nearby.
(Eg sleeping guard.)
5: Bomb getting defused at the last possible second. (Unrealistic.)
6: Prophecy's that r about r protagonist.
7: A character who is down on their luck will say something like.
"It can't get any worse can it?" Then it starts 2 rain or something 2 that effect. This irony is usually used for comic relief.
8: Women & their frying pans/kitchen utensils.
I'm immensely excited about ur new graphic novel Mark ur reMARKable!
PS (Thanks for all the likes!)
Did someone say Goku
1. Godzilla vs mechagodzilla 2
2 literally legend of Zelda with link to the past and hyrule warrior
Tails Prower 3rd one is The Good Dinosaur
Dude, the waterfall one is golden. Evertime I've seen it it's been great... and is it really that overused? Off the top of my head I can only remember the one from Spirit stallion of the cimarron. I dont read a lot of normal books, but aside from some kid shows I cant remember seeing many.
The first one I am about to write. But it's been a long time coming. I've been planning it to happen for a while.
The protagonist doesn’t remember who their parents are
Unless the character is suffering from memory loss I don't see how this would be used often
@@yellowishgreendragon.-. - If they were orphaned or taken from their parents when they were very young, that would work. But unless it's a plot point, it shouldn't be there. "I was passed around like a gift nobody wants but is too polite to reject. Probably started with my parents." This character is damaged by cycling through the foster care system.
They don't acknowledge the parents existence anyway
If the character has memory loss or something that made them be taken away from their parents before they were enough young to remember them, then i don't see the problem
Well this can work. I remember watching a movie about a young boy who was accidentally left in Japan during WW2 and was captured by the Japanese army. Towards the end of the movie, after going through a lot of hardships, he said to his friend he couldn't even remember his parents' face anymore. Idk, but to me that worked well.
Point 4 is basically Kingdom Hearts.
Sora's mum cooks him dinner in the first game. Never heard from again for 18 years (and counting), LUL.
that scene is so irrelevant that I swear I forgot about it and just thought they were all orphans living alone in that island, until I played KH1 again last year xD
Lul is Dutch for penis.
I think 'the chosen one' archetype is also over used. The main character that is just unbeatable in this one thing everyone is doing, but the main character doesn't care because "it's just what I do" ... one punch man took that archetype to the extreme and made it work, by focusing on the supporting cast. They have to work for everything, they are the ones that could lose, they're the ones the audience are getting involved with... not Saitama. He wins.. personified Deus ex machina.
It also works bc of Saitama's personality xD He literally doesn't like that super power of his, like yeah, that hard work paid off, but it takes all the "fun" of being a super hero xD
Also its not like Saitama didn't work hard. He spend those 2 years training to be strong and now he is, its just that his training was that good. Whats good about Saitama is that he has small goals like become a registered hero or become an S class hero, rise up the rakes. There are some chapter where he's rather humble and he's not like the other heros.
Another REALLY annoying cliche?
CLIFFS.
For some stupid reason, people writing stories think it's a great idea to have the protagonist and/or their party running/crashing a vehicle/slipping and either ending right at the end of a cliff just inches away from death, or hanging from it by a thread. So many movies/books/graphic novels put this in and I roll my eyes SO HARD when I see it.
Love your content once again, Mark. Keep being awesome!
Well then, that's a literal cliffhanger if I've ever seen one!
(Ba-dum tshhh in the distance)
@@asteraquae Bravo **slow claps**
Eh, I dont think they're that cringy. A cliche? Most definately, but as long as it isnt contrived, I usually dont mind
Let's not forget this one-
The light vs. Darkness concept. Light is the good guy, dark is the bad guy. It's reinvented in new ways, but it's still REALLY overused.
I've seen one where darkness looks like light and light looks like darkness. It was actually used really well.
Id love to see more gritty versions of this where its revealed that humans (and pretty much all living beings) are actually the “dark“ beings since they are leeching off the light and energy in general.
Probably exists somewhere out there already...
@@remem95 dark souls?
remem95 yup that’s dark souls lol
@@MyLifeToons I should get into Dark Souls Lore then lol
the "Twist Villain" . The character in the film that had no prior visual or communicative cues that would lead you to suspect they were the villain, OR, they lean too much into the 'good' side character that it's too obvious, they will be the villain. But the story wanted to really surprise you with the reveal, even when you saw it coming a mile away.
When the evil guy has no advantages, is this chubby guy, and at the end he's like, "HOW DID I LOOOOSSSEEE?!?!'
Normal, they never know about plot conveniences
One thing I’ve noticed in every story...
They can avoid it all they want, there will always be one cliche in every story.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with cliches, just like every other aspect of writing there are good and bad ways to use them. For example you could try fleshing out a cliche and give it more nuance or handle the cliche from a different/multiple perspectives.
This was touched on but it does bear repeating: there is nothing inherently wrong with cliche, or to coin an expression by SFDebris, the difference between a rip off and a homage is what you add to it. Lets not forget that Harry Potter with its magical orphan child with a destiny plot is cliche as heck - but I think JK Rowling's bank balance proved how little that mattered.
Yeah, frankly, I'm sick of chosen one stories because I mean, whatever they do they're chosen for this amazing fate anyway. Stories where characters rise up to be the center of the action due to their own choices and determination is far more engaging in my opinion.
harry potter is one of the worst stories out there lol, rowling has undeserved fame
*slobbers ur gobstopper* needs more bloggers many would beg to differ
@LagiNaLangAko23 While I agree that there are a LOT of clichés in Harry Potter, Rowling's net worth is $1 billion... she doesn't have to "try" and do anything... You say she's desperate to make it relevant, I say she is succeeding. She could go on the rest of her life (her family could go a few generations even), never touch that series again and not want for anything. Movies based off the universe today are still making millions. There's no desperation there... just good business sense.
@LagiNaLangAko23 I guess the info dump doesn't really bother me to the extent it does you. It's her prerogative to do what she wants. There are people practically at her feet begging to know what Dumbledore's sexuality is, so she responds. Do I care what Dumbledore's sexuality is? Absolutely not. That information doesn't change my view on the FICTIONAL character or the series one bit... but she's not the one making Harry Potter relevant, everybody else is doing that for her.
“...aside from Potter, what has she made that have garnered so much attention?”
Who. The f**k. Cares. I mean really... She doesn’t have to write another book if she doesn’t want to. She can make it a simple hobby now. She’s not the only author to be a victim of his/her own successes either. Stephenie Meyer and Twilight... no one is talking about The Host and it’s just as poorly written as her other books. Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games. Nobody really talks about the Underland Chronicles and they preceded The Hunger Games. Dan Brown and his Robert Langdon series... everybody mostly talked about the Da Vinci Code (ONE book in a SEVEN book series) and it wasn’t even the first book in the series contrary to what the movies tell you.
And these are just to name a few in recent date.
SIDE NOTE: the Angels and Demons movie is a poor representation of the book. It left out a huge plot twist that made the book 10x better... Conspiracy?... maybe... Missed opportunity?... definitely.
As far as Rowling’s private detective series goes, it is actually pretty popular in the UK. Even has its own TV show, but I concede that you’re right it hasn’t received the INTERNATIONAL attention that Harry Potter did, and yet she still received critical acclaim from reviews and her peers on the new series.
International attention to the extent that Harry Potter received is pretty rare. Even authors better than Rowlings didn't receive international attention until after their deaths (Jane Austen to name a pretty important one). In recent date (and in my opinion), the only other series that has received close to that kind of attention is The Hunger Games. I think it all has to do with the target audience. Let's face it, tweeners to young adults tend to get a little crazy about their "passions".
One cliche that I think needs to die is the "guy doesn't take no for an answer" one - main dude meets a girl, she is absolutely uninterested in him, but he KNOWS she's secretly in love with him even tho there are NO signs of that. So he stalks her and harrasses her and follows her around, and in the end she does fall in love with him
it's basically every cheap romantic comedy ever and it's tiring and gross to watch lmao
I absolutely agree. Like, is that shit supposed to be cute?
@@jinxluvver3909 Stop.. Just stop. Nobody here implied that men should be burned. We pointed out that it's a male CLICHÉ because it's most common with men.
Âlpha Ferocity offended?
@@jinxluvver3909 You're welcome lmao
Please tell me what part of my comment implied stalking is normal behaviour for men and they should all burn. Was something confusingly worded or do you just really really wanna feel attacked LOL
Yeah it happens to be reversed too, sort of. I've seen that only in anime with yandere characters, but at least with those it's aknowledged that what the girl is doing is in fact creepy and stalkery.
Maybe the cliche I described's done with women in live action romances from time to time too, I wouldn't know since I don't actively watch romantic movies. I'd love it if you point out some examples of that. But I've seen it mainly with dudes, and it's always portrayed as romantic and a show of his love, not the creepy harrassment that it really is.
Madicham I don’t care enough to provide examples because fiction is fiction. Ergo,it holds no bearing over anything. Ergo,why are you replying to a comment that’s half a week old?
The power of friendship cliche is the one that almost always gets on my nerves, even though it’s mostly used in kids shows/movies
**Cough** Fairy Tail *cough again**
*cough* POKEMAN *cough*
*COUGH COUGH* my little pony *COUGH*
As much as I love Digimon, it’s definitely guilty of Cliché #4. I wouldn’t just say “parents”; I’d say adults in general. In Digimon, very few adults help the kids out, and when they do, they’re usually not that helpful. The parents are practically useless.
A thought about #1: I think that cliché developed because the opposite was becoming cliché. Two characters would meet each other, and the sparks would fly immediately - for no reason. You rarely understood why they liked each other. They just did because the plot said so.
Often, there was no buildup to the romance. They were just immediately “in love”. It made their relationship feel shallow and rushed.
Think about a lot of Disney Princess movies. The princess and her prince fell in love in about three hours. The conflict didn’t come from their relationship; it came from external forces keeping them apart. Aladdin couldn’t marry Jasmine because the law said she had to marry a prince. Ariel couldn’t be with Eric because she was a mermaid and he was human. Aurora couldn’t be with Phillip because of the sleeping curse. And so on.
Having the two characters hate each other at first may not be the best alternative, but it at least allows the conflict to come from them, not from fate. You also get to watch that journey you mentioned. They develop a relationship instead of just instantly having a “perfect” one.
They don't even have to hate each other. They could just be indifferent to each other or tolerate but not necessarily like, until further development causes them to get to know each other and eventually fall in love.
What?!
I think Digimon is one of the few series that handled the parents really well, specially Matt's dad, he was super helpful. And Mimi's dad even if he lacked strength he was willing to do anything to protect his family, which helped Togemon to digievolve into Lilymon.
Also didn't also Sora's mom helped her with Biyomon?
@@JaelBreton To be honest the real romantic with classical bondings and all usually contain some reasoned calculation as well. It would be nice to see things sometimes warm up, realization that there are interest and they eventually calculate that this relationship is worth to take that deeper level.
I don't have opposite sex childhood friend but I suppose friendships like that differ a bit from romantic kinds and I guess childhood friends absolutely do not want romantic involvements because it kinda takes away something which made their relation good in the first place.
"the main character has amnesia"
i hate that one and it's been used so many times
I use the anmesia thing. But I have it in a unique way.
the wise master who has to die once theyve taught the hero all they need to know
What if he dies before the hero is taught the essential lessons?
I agree.
Check out, The Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell.
When Mark uploads a new video, you know it's going to be a great day! Thank you for all of your contributions to the community Mark!
Adding to the parents cliches:
The protagonist parents (or sometimes the secret 'REAL' parents) are this super important plot or lore characters. I find it even more annoying when it's revealed late in the story.
"Oh, your father? He was this super powerful guy, who stopped that legendary evil, and was the founder of the most important organization galaxy-wise."
I have a question, does it count as this cliche when I don't reveal one of the main character's heritage and made the parent seemingly normal but with a few hints here and there?
I don't know, im trying to work on a story and there's a lil twist where the main character A was unknowingly the one main character B was going to marry, cause of both of them oblivious of main character B's heritage and because the mother didn't reveal it to him.
The mother helps the girl along the story for no reason at all till this is why the mother helped.
I would really love feedback since I'm still learning
@@coffeetoffee4596 could you elaborate more? I don't know if it's because English is not my native language but couldn't understand what you meant.
@@jbgra2566 ah sorry, English isn't my native language too so that might be the case.
So the two main character's parents were the ones who agreed to the arrange marriage but the girl didn't know any of this, the boy is oblivious of his family's history and stuff.
It is later revealed when the boy confronts his mother about the strange things she did that was off and she wouldn't do to a stranger.
He didn't point it out so quickly cause there alot of things happening so fast.
Hope this is clearer :3
one that I've seen/read. in the final battle the Protagonist has one last end all special move that he could only use as a last resort because of how devastating it is to the surroundings and themselves
Final getsugatensho
@@luxo2309 yup, was thinking of that when I posted that.
Another one:
When the cast of main characters are SO CLOSE to defeating the main antagonist, but one character screws it up by acting on their feelings.
-
This has happened in Infinity War, Gravity Falls (twice!), and probably many more idk
This can happen though,I've been through it once and I absolutely hate it.Still couldn't resolve the problem yet.Btw,Gravity falls did a good job,but still,Mabel is still an ungrateful shit to Dipper.My boy deserve better.
Azirul Disagree. Read the Gravity Falls Comic.
@@melioras_pheonoraptor8936 It's out already?Guess i try it out.Thanks for telling me
The "because I love you" line
I mean it's nice and sweet and all and I wouldn't mind at times but.. it's definitely a cliché
Well let's face it. Everything is a cliche.
Someday.
Basically
Boy: I promise I won't get involved with her.
Girl: *Sees boy kissing her and runs off betrayed*
Boy: *pushes her off* Why did you just kiss me?! I'm dating Girl!
Miscommunication! 😅 And this isn't just exclusively couples, but anyone promising their close friend or parent something and seeming to "break" said promise. You can see this cliche a mile away. Maybe trust that person a little more and ask them what happened later, and if you can't even trust your closest friend/lover/parent, then eavesdropping for 5 more seconds wouldn't kill ya lol.
The fact that you would put so much faith into a person and immediately believe they broke your promise kinda says a lot more about you than the character committing the "crime", my friend 😅😂 How can ppl establish this intense "go to the ends of the world for you" relationship only to have it explode like a bomb? 😅
The A-hole who maintains a nice guy facade until he revels himself at the last minute.
Maguffin is destroyed or absent for third act but teamwork brings it back or creates something better just in the nick time.
Love at first sight. Nuff said.
The thing where the guy's family is unhappy that he works long hours and isn't able to focus on them 110%.
#5: The entire storyline for Kimi Ni Todoke.
And most other shoujo romances.
3 hour long magical girl transformations
Nah thats fine as long as they got big tits
what are pervs doing here?
Please no no no NO NOOOOOOOOOO
@@AgMak lol
@@lailataluminousnight8064 What do you mean 'What are pervs doing here?' Pervs are everywhere.
I thought about a lot of anime I watched that contain some of those clichés XD
Save time:
#1 - 00:54
#2 - 02:24
#3 - 03:11
#4 - 04:34
#5 - 06:44
#6 - 08:45
#7 - 10:04
#8 - 10:56
A new comic?
Any hints as to what we’ll be looking forward to?
The story that starts in a seemingly dramatic moment and then you are dragged into a story-long flashback. When you finally get to the point where the story began, the things aren't what they seem.
Quick dumb spin I had on three:
Two protagonists are fighting the bad guy. Protagonist 1 leaves to get backup. Protagonist 2 is actually fighting the villain well, and when the villain seems like he’s about to die, Protagonist 1 comes back with backup to see, there was no need for said backup. Oops.
Another one.
Basically this basic premis happens. Th hero is helpless and about to die, villain is now dead. The person who saved protagonist is actually a rouge villain who wanted to get the victory of killing the hero for themselves.
Villain cliche
Bad guys try to take over the world because their (evil) seen it so many times in movies, anime, games, etc.
It bothers me. I don't know if someone mentioned this in the comments.
The 7 Is the one that makes you scream : STOP, you are violating the law!
Story videos are my absolute favorite. So helpful and inspiring. Thank you
Perfect timing. I'm working on a project based around cliches.
Here’s another cliche.
The main character having a childhood friend that’s usually a girl.
(Anime Cliche)
That's so incredibly general I don't think it can even be counted, though. Like, *the overwhelming majority of people on the planet* have a childhood friend that's also a girl. And in stories, that's just, like, the absolute most basic starting point for a character.
@@thelordstarfish They mean one that almost always develop into a romantic relationship, no matter what. It is an incredibly common and dumb cliche.
sayori
Yeah
That's a really good drawing. I can't stand the misunderstanding cliche, I can also relate to the slow speaking one a little. People will speak slowly when they find out that I wear hearing aids. Like know that they're just trying to be nice and I thank them for that, but it feels so demeaning. Speak loudly not slowly, I'm not stupid and neither are people who speak foreign languages.
Natives, especially from America and etc are too fast paced for people who are not or are learners. S yes, speaking a little slowly is good. Yours is different.
Not sure if it's a cliche really, but nested flashbacks drive me nuts. Like, do a prequel lol
So many books now
I've been with this channel since Brody's ghost book 2
I dont really care about cliches since everything's been done already. I only care about the story. Sure, cliches can get in the way, but as long as the story is intriguing and fun, its all good.
My least favourite trope is: a character dies and their friend/loved one cries over their body, and as soon as the single teardrop falls on the dead character's body, magic happens and they are brought back to life.
Yeah, that happened in Tangled! It’s kinda weird, how does it even happen?!
LuTube
Well, in something like Tangled or Steven Universe, it makes sense because the main character was established to have magic healing powers prior to this moment, we just didn’t know the full extent of it yet. Their tears just are the most powerful part. It’s problematic in something like Stitch has a Glitch though, where they spend the entire movie building up that the character‘s life is in danger and when he dies in the end and everyone is sad and cries over his dead body, he just comes back to life for no reason. They literally asked that question in-universe and the answer given is „I dunno.“
Although I don't really watch RUclips art tutorials anymore, I just wanted to say that you're the reason why I got into visual storytelling. Thank you.
My favorite cliche' is the ghost in the mirror bathroom mirror/cabinet scene. We all know when the cabinet closes there will be a face behind the person and yet it gets me all the time. 😆
>the most important event in history of the world
>oh no, the hero is absent for today. Better call the protagonist instead
number 6 is basically
"oh and by the way...that chicken was dry...real dry..."
10:54 number eight I've seen in real life more than once. A project I was making didn't turn out like I wanted and the teacher loved it. 🤷🏻♀️
This one
THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP like you know the drill people I dont need to explain
Hi Mark long time returning fan I used to watch your videos every day I don't know why I stoped watching, but I'm back now and just wanted to thank you, every time I have felt stuck on art for the past 9 years ish I always look at the many how to draw books i own but I always seem to gravitate towards mastering manga and it almost always helps me get back on track with whatever it was that I was drawing.
Agree with all of them. The misunderstanding one drives me nuts. The missing parents one can be annoying sometimes, I like them when they are better integrated into the story.
First cliche, Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare, you may have heard of him.
I'm so glad to see you shading with your fingers. Somebody chastised me for that a while back. I have shaders but I have always done some shading with my fingers since I was a kid.
Mr. Crilley, I've been following your videos for the last seven years, and I must say... I was SHOCKED to see you using copic markers! It's not something usual from you in the past. Very nice :) I love seeing all artists use different mediums!
I lost it at number 6 😂 I think this is one of the reasons I stopped watching TV shows haha!
When the bad guy captures the main character, he or she reveals the evil plan to the protagonist who says, "you won't get away with this." The villain says, "I already have," and then leaves the hero to his or her doom.
Lol so true 😂 I'm dying
Wow! That's a neat little technique, smudging it around with your finger.
I remember you from my childhood!!! Glad to see you're still around
WOAH I remember watching Mr Crilley’s videos 11(+?) years ago after discovering the Akiko series, and feeling so inspired - I think he got me interested in perspectives back then (which I now deal with in the field of architecture! Time flies). So glad to see that he’s still active on RUclips to this day!
Your videos are the videos that helps me the most on learning to draw than all other videos, Thanks!
As an aspiring writer, I do love these discussions where people talk about literary cliches! It's a way to get feedback about my writing without anyone ever having read it I suppose lol
I had already planned to heavily revise my novel's ending. Now I know why. It is because of cliché #3
Mark’s got a new graphic novel?? It’s been a minute since Brody’s Ghost. Can’t wait!
I definitely hate it when characters meet up to discuss something, but they ONLY say what they came there to say after saying goodbye, walking three steps, stopping at the door, turning dramatically around, then utter: "Oh, by the way...". Like, in reality, after you say goodbye to someone, THEY'RE GONE. There's no time to walk slowly away dramatically and turn around. Just like the characters who turn their backs and face the camera, while still in conversation. When that happens to me in real life, I'm always like, "What? I can't hear you! Can you point your mouth at me when you're speaking?" And again, you turn your back on someone, they're gonna walk off, not linger around. Part of being an effective communicator is maintaining eye contact, and using subtle body language, to emphasize your point with your hands and feet.
A couple things that get me to put down a book forever, or watch a different tv series, are sex scenes, and fight scenes. I'm astounded by how common it is to throw in random unnecessary sex or fight scenes that have absolutely nothing to do with the plot or character development. Sex and fighting are part of life, so you expect to see it in a LONG series where you get attached to the characters. But throwing a bunch of naked people into a room with flying bullets and explosions is not entertainment. What's entertainment is what pulls at our heartstrings. A forbidden romance that two characters sacrifice everything for, or an underdog that constantly loses fights but keeps getting back up because he believes in what he's fighting for, is VASTLY more satisfying and rewarding than what we're forced to watch in EVERY movie these days.
I just started drawing and I found out I'm not to bad for just starting out just wanted to say thanks for all your awesome content and that the black Prismacolor is godlike goes over the pen as if it's not even there!
A quote from Terrador (Earth Guardian in “The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning”) “All warriors feel fear at one time or another, Spyro. There’s no shame in that, but only the bravest or most powerful can learn to face their fears and master them...” Very fitting for your # 2 point I’d say....
Love your art you should start a Patron account I would support you if I could
buy his comics
I bought mastering manga2
The art project one is basically Deus Ex Machina
Quite literally dates back to Ancient Greek times
Mark thank you for the stories you have made. They are great and I can't wait to read your next manga project.
Mark, if you framed your original art. Like these nice landscape setting. I bet you could sell them on your website. I would love to buy an original piece of art from you to hang on my wall.
That melody was majestic
The saddest thing is, I have seen 7 and 8 happen in real life. A British businessman spoke in a slow almost patronizing way to my Mexican boss because my boss had just been speaking Spanish to a customer. My Boss speaks perfect Texan. In college, another groups project was destroyed almost completely when one of the students transported it in the rain in the back of a pickup. They all bemoaned its loss and still got an A because the teacher loved it. Cliches hang around because they do actually happen in real life.
Wow
A few i have are when they pull a Castle. (And I love the series) is when two characters come to the same conclusion and finish each other's sentences.
Or the protagonist does some mistake and goes back to correct it and doesn't have to prove ANYTHING to the other character that they are sorry.
Finally the "what if" sinario. Where the character has to make a choice and knows the right one could mean life or death to a partner or loved one and offers to trade in their life for the person who they are trying to save
I really enjoy watching that part of Castle
@@dindapriska I know. My partner got me into it. I may be official trash though and rented a Nikki Heat book from the library
I bought your book,AMAZING!
I always like having a note of some of these cliches, as I try and avoid them with my characters and story telling. SOME I don't mind so much but others bug the hell out of me.
With the foreign language one, that comes across as rude. I do have a similar situation, where one of my small part characters encounters another of my characters, who is abnormally tall, like 7ft or something. and the other character being shorter basically shouts up at him if he can hear her up there.
Another time I came across something similar was a character didn't realise someone they knew was deaf and shouted loudly so she could 'hear'. I feel these play of a similar situation but give a different idea rather than play on the constant "different language" idea.
Also the misunderstanding bugs the hell out of me, shouldn't they know the character well enough to not jump to conclusions? Or you know JUST TALK!.
great video dude and beautiful picture to boot! I loved watching you work on it!
I learned a lot from you,,Thanks
Great list. I would like it though if you could pose some solutions to these cliches that could be used to replace them or to make them more original. I’ve been struggling with cliches in my own works, and it’s been very hard for me to avoid them. Any help is appreciated, I love your videos.
Shrek is a good example of the misunderstanding working. Because it’s not just a crutch like it is in most stories, Shrek misunderstands Fiona because it feeds directly into his insecurities, he doesn’t want to talk about it because he’s hurt, he’s been judged before and he assumes this is what’s happening. Fiona won’t talk because she’s also insecure, it was a good way to utilize this cliche and actually make it interesting
As for me, cliche #2 ("Meet your worst fear!") is pretty much fun, actually. And i do not see it in movies for very long time! So it is not quite a cliche...
This kind of video is great for younger storytellers who may accidentally copy decades of repeated methods. It's as important to know what to avoid as it is to strive for.
#8 addon: after an art project gone wrong - someone gives "the proper name" for it and then goes "I love it!" line.
The seventh one happens in real life too. I was at Disney world waiting in a line and an Asian woman with good english asked my mom a questions and so my mom answered in the worst ungrammatically correct broken English she could find and it annoyed me to pieces.
I forgot to click the bell so I didn't know this video was for a week!
Hi Mark! I used to go by the name of shortygirl0007. Not sure if you remember as it's been so many years. I don't have the video anymore, but I posted a video years ago about Miki Falls collection and you replied back. Back then, it was HUGE for me as you were a big inspiration. I still have Miki Falls along with Brody's Ghost collection with me and it brings me joy. Thank you for all you do :)
Your videos are so relaxing to watch.
I read the title and thought: sympathetic villain.
Prince Zuko from Avatar was sympathetic, but it didn't feel cliche to me. Maybe because he actually had good intentions that were contorted by his experiences
@@Chris-Moore501 Doesn't matter. That's how every sympathetic villain is written now. It's gotten so boring that I don't even enjoy Prince Zuko anymore.
@@fbi1704 Yikes
@@fbi1704 Then, what do you want from a villain?
@@rosakuboleznennyesladkij1415 Someone who would be irredeemable and unremorseful. Someone who is actually the polar opposite of the hero, while still being entertaining. I'm not saying sympathetic villains are bad just overdone at this point. I just want a villain I can like watching while still hoping for their downfall. I'm just sick of watching movies and shows where there are practically two heros, but one is just wrong in their approach to the issue. Of course this is just my opinion, it's not like writers stay wake at night asking themselves: " What does Diontez want to see?".